The Way Things Are
by GobletEnchantress
Summary: Five years after Hermione left the life she once knew, an invitation forces her to return. But will she choose to mend what she destroyed or continue to live in pain. Will her friends struggle to get back the Hermione they once knew and loved? A RonHermio
1. invitation

* I really hope you guys enjoy this fanfiction! It's only my second fanfiction that I have written and I haven't even finished the first one! But I had a dream about this story and I knew that I had to start it right away. Enjoy!  
  
I do not own Harry Potter and everything included.blah blah blah blah. You know what I mean.  
  
THE WAY THINGS ARE  
  
CH.1 - Invitation  
  
I won't go.  
  
They can't make me go back.  
  
Hermione had spent her entire day arguing with herself. Half of her wanted to accept but the other made her remember what she was getting herself into.  
  
"Why couldn't they have forgotten my invitation?" Hermione thought angrily. She was clutching the little piece that was in her palm so tight that any moment that little piece would become part of her skin.  
  
5 years.  
  
It had been five years since she had seen Hogwarts.  
  
5 years since she had seen her friends.  
  
5 years since she had seen Harry.  
  
And RON.  
  
Hermione finally let go of the little piece of paper and brought into view again. She had probably read that letter as much as a 100 times but she just had to read it again.  
  
Dear Miss Hermione Granger,  
  
We are pleased to announce that we will hold the annual dinner and dance for the reuniting class of 1998 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As part of that graduating class, we are to inform you that even though the dinner and dance will be held 2 weeks as of this date, your presence is mandatory. We expect both Head Boy and Head Girl present. Since you were Head Girl that year and Mister Draco Malfoy was Head Boy, we would have expected both of you to arrive. However, due to the complications and events that took place a few years back Mister Malfoy will not be present. So it is crucial that you make your presence known on August the 24th. The Dinner will commence at 7:00 pm and continue with a dance until 1:00 am. We appreciate your understanding and hope that you as well as the rest of the alumni will have a pleasant time.  
  
Sincerely,  
MINERVA MCGOGONALL  
Headmaster  
  
Tears rolled down Hermione's cheek as she finally set down the paper onto the desk. She had always dreaded for this moment to come, but never did she realize that it would come so soon. She didn't want to attend. She would have given anything to not attend but she knew she had to go. It was unavoidable.  
  
"Why did I have to be BLOODY Head Girl! Damn IT!" Hermione screamed so loudly that it made the wine glass shake from the table. Furiously, Hermione threw the wine glass to the wall and made it shatter into about a thousand pieces.  
  
It was at that moment that Hermione realized something.  
  
She would have to face meeting Harry and Ron.  
  
But she brought it upon herself that it was just for one night. She would arrive, make her presence known, and eventually sneak out without anybody realizing until it was too late.  
  
"Everything is fine with my life right now. I won't screw it up in one night. I'm happy with the way I'm living. I'm a writer and a MediWitch. I have a beautiful house and I'm just..happy."  
  
But was she really?  
  
Hermione suddenly gave up and began to retreat to one of her many, many rooms in her homes.  
  
All through the way, Hermione began to ponder on what could she do tomorrow. I could go into Muggle London again and buy some more books Hermione thought. The idea would have sounded great if she hadn't been doing the same thing the past week. She hadn't made any friends when she had moved and hadn't bothered to make any in the hospital where she worked at. And because of that, Hermione's options were very limited in the whole 'vacationing thing to do'. That's when she made her decision.  
  
"That's right, I'll go watch a Muggle movie. I haven't seen one in ages."  
  
Hermione decided to put back today's incident in the back of her mind and try not to let it get to her.  
  
Hermione quickly changed and made her way unto the bed. She layed face up viewing the ceiling; she knew she would dream it once again. It was all she dreamt about. That's why it was so hard to live a normal life if one kept dreaming of the same thing every night. And not only that, this repetitive dream happened to be the worst memory of your LIFE.  
  
Slowly Hermione's eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier by the minute. But right before her eyes would completely shut, her head tilted to the right. The desk that was there had her pictures that she had managed to save.  
  
They were pictures of Harry, her, and Ron.  
  
They looked so happy and free-spirited. No one could have ever guessed that these 3 people would ever experience pain, anguish, and betrayal.  
  
Betrayal. She loathed that word.  
  
Only because she was the one who had betrayed the one she 'thought' she had loved and only ended betraying herself and destroying her happiness.  
  
A tear had once again rolled her cheek and began to sob until her eyes had no more tears to release.  
  
She had once again cried herself to sleep. 


	2. Dreaming

Chapter 2: Dreaming  
  
* Just to be clear, this chapter is about the repetitive dream Hermione has. This is a just a flashback to what started it all. I had to get this dream out of the way. So enjoy. Love and Mushiness will occur in later chapters. Lol. * I don't own Harry Potter, I just meddle in it.  
  
The smell of green grass and feeling of air run through your hair was what made Hermione Granger get up in the morning for.  
  
Her eyes had lit up by the reflection of the sun that her window in her Head Girl's Room.  
  
"Today is going to be a beautiful day." Hermione lay awake on her bed now. But she was wrong. Little did she know.  
  
Hermione sprung out of bed and began to rummage through her closet to find herself a perfect outfit.  
  
Today was Saturday. Hogsmeade day.  
  
Hermione threw every piece of unwanted clothing out the closet. Still no luck on her outfit.  
  
"Nope.Nope.Definitely no..PERFECT!" Hermione was clutching her favorite blouse and shorts. She had found her outfit.  
  
Hermione quickly made her way to the bathroom and prepared herself for the day she would be having. Especially with the one that she loved.  
  
Half an hour later, Hermione was set and ready to roll. She looked at herself in the mirror for the 10th time.  
  
Her red blouse fit her perfectly with her slender body. 'Who would have thought I would finally grow some curves?' Hermione thought. And damn right she was. She was no longer Miss Hermione Granger The Bookworm. She had turned into Miss Hemione Granger the WOMAN. She still had her passion for books but she no longer had that bookish look. She was very beautiful indeed. Makeup was never really a friend for Hermione and she never needed it anyways.  
  
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Even with all her admirers (and boy did she have admirers) Hermione Granger had eyes for one boy and one boy only. (Or so she thought)  
  
And that was Draco Malfoy.  
  
Believe me, if you were to have told Hermione when she was 14 that the guy she would have fallen in love with was Draco Malfoy, she would have laughed right in your face. And hard.  
  
Ever since 5th year, Hermione had always been secretly in love with her best friend Ronald Weasley. But she was too scared to admit it. She had never confided anyone into revealing her true feelings but her other best friend, Harry Potter, had somehow seen right though her. Harry had always known Hermione had always possessed feelings for her other best friend but made no effort into pushing it further.  
  
For Harry also had a secret.  
  
Harry was in love with Hermione.  
  
What had hurt the most was the realization that Hermione had no idea that Harry felt this way. And it killed him. Especially when he knew that Hermione was in love with Ron and not him.  
  
It caused him pain that at times he felt like getting rid of Ron.  
  
Ron, on the other hand, also endured feelings for Hermione. But what was strange in him was that he really didn't mind dating other girls before he would admit his feelings for Hermione. Ron had cared about Hermione the first day he met her. He would relish the days he would spend with Hermione. Every moment was heaven for him when he was around Hermione.  
  
It was during fifth year when Ron would admit his feelings to Hermione. Hermione couldn't have been any happier that moment. She had thought that her life had turned for the best,  
  
But soon came a dead end.  
  
Fifth year had gone pretty well in Hermione's thoughts. Her relationship was on a reasonable level, her friends were acting super cool, and she managed to get pass her classes with top scores. She was definitely happy. But for Harry it was a different story. All through fifth year, Harry had to bottle every single mixed feeling he had for Hermione. One minute he would hate her, the next he would care for her. It took a whole lot of strength for Harry to keep his feelings for Hermione in the beginning, but eventually he managed to push those feelings aside. They never went away, but he had dug them real deep that Harry had fooled himself into thinking that Hermione was not for him.  
  
It was in the end of sixth year when it all had occurred; Hermione had caught Ron cheating on her with Lavender Brown. That broke Hermione's heart in half. Ron, of all people, had regretted it the second he was caught and had begged Hermione for forgiveness repeatedly but was only left with door slams.  
  
Hermione never thought Ron would have been capable of doing such a thing. That was what made it even harder. Hermione would never forgive him. That day was so clear in her mind. That was when she broke it off with Ron. Ron never really forgave himself for what he did. But Hermione vowed to move on with her life.  
  
It was after a while that she fell in love with what she thought to be the last person in the world.  
  
Draco Malfoy.  
  
He had wooed her and made her convinced that he was not a bad guy.  
  
But she had fell in love with him merely because she felt so vulnerable that anybody would have swept her off her feet. And Draco had been the one to do that.  
  
Draco never really loved her.  
  
He was simply using her to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes.  
  
But Hermione was too blind to see that. She didn't know that she was being fooled.  
  
Rushing down the hallway Hermione was running down to the Great hall to get some breakfast before it was gone. She felt excited.  
  
Upon entering the Great hall, she felt the entire Gryffindor table stare at her with disgust and loathing. The fact that the smartest witch in Gryffindor was going out with their number one enemy was just not accepted in Gryffindor. That was the reason she was banned from eating at the Gryffindor table. She still remembered the day that Harry and Ron had given her an ultimatum.  
  
Flashback~  
  
"Hermione, either you stop playing games or we will stop speaking to you entirely!" Harry was raging mad.  
  
"Playing games? Me playing games? Harry, why can't you just accept the fact I'm with Draco and were going to be with each other from now on?!" Hermione couldn't believe at the words she had just heard from Harry. He was giving her an ultimatum.  
  
"That a lot of crap Hermione. You don't love Malfoy. He is just merely using you. You love Ron and you know it." Harry cringed inside when he had said that. His feelings were beginning to plea to break through.  
  
"You don't know anything Harry. Why don't you just leave me alone and let me deal with my love life. Why can't we just be friends like we were before?" Hermione pleaded.  
  
Harry knew she really wanted to fix things, but they just couldn't stay like this. Draco was a threat to him as well as his father. That was why he just couldn't accept Draco. He knew Draco was simply using Hermione to get a way to destroy their friendship. But Hermione's vulnerablilty was making her stubborn as hell. He knew this had to end.  
  
"Hermione please, don't do this for Ron then. Even though that poor bloke is silently dying inside, don't do this for him. Do this for me. I know I'm sounding unfair, but leave Malfoy. He is a threat to you and me and Ron. He just wants to see our friendship down the drain. Just leave him."  
  
Hermione's pleading look had suddenly turned into loathing.  
  
"I knew you were going to say that. How selfish are you? You really expect me to leave the one person who truly loves me just to satisfy you? Sure you think it's right for me to just drop my relationships while both yours and Ron are simply dandy. Do you want to see me miserable? You think I'm not worthy for any happiness? Harry, if you can't accept the fact that I'm with Draco then we simply cannot continue being friends."  
  
Hermione didn't want this to happen but she didn't want to lose the one person who she thought really loved her. If that meant losing Harry and Ron then so be it.  
  
God, she was so stupid.  
  
Harry, hurt at what Hermione had said, was determined not to give in. No, he would not let Hermione win. If that's what she wanted, then she was just stupid then.  
  
Solemnly, Harry said, "Fine Hermione, We are no longer friends as of this moment. You can just forget about us to be with that stupid prat Malfoy."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened with fear and surprise that for a moment Harry thought about taking back what he was going to say when suddenly,  
  
"But don't expect us to take you back when Draco finally decides to throw you away like a piece of trash."  
  
Had he really said that? Yes, he had. He didn't mean to.  
  
Hermione eyes were beginning to water up. She tried to act angry but tears were beginning to draw out. She looked straight at Harry and made her final comeback.  
  
"Fine. Have a nice life Harry." And with that Hermione fled the common room leaving Harry standing alone. Although someone had heard the entire conversation.  
  
"What are we going to do know?" Ron said walking up to Harry.  
  
Harry was startled when he had heard Ron speaking. "Did you hear everything?" Harry asked questionably.  
  
With a very hurt expression, Ron answered, "Yes mate, I did."  
  
~~~End of flashback~~  
  
Hermione quickly made her into the Slytherin table finding her usual seat next to Draco.  
  
"Over here Hermione!" Draco waved his hands so that Hermione could spot him.  
  
With a big smile, Hermione made her into the seat that Draco had saved for her.  
  
He quickly gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Hermione tried her best to look happy even though she wasn't. After news got out that Hermione had broken from the Famous Trio, rumors flung about everywhere. She tried to act cool when asked about what happened but she was really depressed knowing that 6 years of friendship had simply been erased. But she had Draco. He was the only friend she needed. She could be happy just with Draco.  
  
Happy?  
  
Hermione's eyes made her way to the spot she would regularly sit at the Gryffindor table. It was still empty. She noticed at that moment that Harry and Ron were watching her as well.  
  
Ron had looks of pure depression and defeat. He knew he loved Hermione and she loved him but because of what had happened everything had turned upside down.  
  
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't kissed Lavender this would have never happened." Ron said.  
  
Harry responded with a serious tone, "NO Ron, this isn't your fault. Malfoy found the perfect chance to get Hermione. She was vulnerable and he knew it. That prat just better not take advantage of her or I'll kill him."  
  
"That's if he already hasn't." Ron was gripping his fork very tight that his fingers were throbbing.  
  
"Don't worry Ron, we'll get her back for you. We'll be back to normal." Harry's heart was throbbing so hard he thought the whole hall would hear it beating. It pained him to say those things but he couldn't do this to his Best friend. Not when he was in this condition.  
  
Harry's eyes wandered back to where Hermione was sitting but found that it was empty. They had already left for Hogsmeade.  
  
The entire trip to Hogsmeade was such a pleasant experience. She never felt so happy.  
  
It was only sad when she knew that the day had finally come to an end.  
  
Retreating back to Hogwarts, Draco had told her that he had a last surprise. She didn't know if she should feel scared or happy.  
  
"Come on Hermione, I'll lead the way. Don't be scared. Everything is going to be all right." Draco was clutching Hermione's hand firmly and refusing to let go. In Hermione's senses, she thought Draco was afraid that she would run off.  
  
Reaching to the very last room in that corridor, there lay a small door. Hermione was really scared now.  
  
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea Draco. Let's go." Hermione was making her way out the corridor when Draco fiercely grasped her shoulders tight.  
  
"No my sweet. We are going to do this now." Draco now had a look of pure rage and evil inside.  
  
"Please Draco, where are you taking me?" Said Hermione who was almost on the verge of tears.  
  
Draco laughed. He laughed with such evil and coldness towards her.  
  
"We are going to pay our respects to our Dark Lord. He's been expecting you."  
  
That was when she knew she needed help. Harry. Ron. Anyone.  
  
Hermione screamed while Draco dragged her into the small room. It was dark, dingy, and clammy. It was Filch's broom closet. In between the room, lay a figure. A dark, shadowy figure. Lord Voldemort.  
  
"How did you, How did you." Hermione yelped when she felt herself getting closer to the dark figure.  
  
"My secrets are not for public display. Lord Voldemort will rise again soon. All he needs is a human sacrifice. And you Hermione have been specially chosen to be the human sacrifice." Draco made his statement quite loud and clear.  
  
The dark shadow then spoke. "Have you gotten her Draco?"  
  
Draco responded. "Yes Lord, I have."  
  
Hermione could not find words to speak. She was too scared to think, to breath, to act, to live, she knew she was going to die.  
  
Finally, she found her voice and spoke foolishly. "Why Draco? I thought you loved me? Why?"  
  
Draco then laughed so hysterically it made Hermione feel completely stupid.  
  
"You foolish girl! You think a pure blood like me would fall in love with a mudblood like you? For being Head Girl, you really are stupid. Can't you piece the puzzle; I was sent to make you fall in love with me to get you. What better time than after you broke it off with that poor Weasel. Shame. He really did look affected. Oh well."  
  
Hermione then realized that all those countless hours of being around him had meant absolutely nothing to Draco. All those kisses, kind words, affectionate touches, and the gifts. Nothing. She had even given her own body to him. She had always wanted her first to be Ron but she was forced into losing it with Draco. He was always insistent on that subject so she had just merely given in during that time. She had believed every single word Draco had spoken to her when they had made love.  
  
Even though he had betrayed her, that didn't take the feeling of love she still held for him.  
  
She wanted to hate him.  
  
But she couldn't. HE had been the only one that had pretended to care.  
  
Ron never appreciated her and Draco somehow did.  
  
Even if it was all a lie the entire time.  
  
"But Draco, I love you. Don't do this. Please." Cried Hermione. She wanted this time to be all a dream and any minute she would wake up.  
  
But it was real.  
  
"Shut up you stupid piece of trash!" said Draco giving her a big slap right across her face causing her lip to slit and begin to bleed.  
  
Hermione fell to the floor by the impact of his hand. She felt lifeless.  
  
Pulling his wand out of his back pocket, Draco began to point to the wand straight at her. He was going to kill her.  
  
"Say Goodbye to your pathetic life Mudblood," cried Draco coldly.  
  
Waiting for her fate, Hermione closed her eyes and would wait any second for that spell to hit her. But it never came.  
  
Because someone had shot out a spell before Draco.  
  
"Rictusempra!!" shot out Harry. He had made his presence known.  
  
Draco flew ten feet from the air, letting go of his wand landing right next to Hermione. He lay there unconscious.  
  
"Potter, we meet again. I knew you would eventually arrive to save your pathetic friend. Now you will meet your fate that you have been expecting ever since you were born." Said Voldemort.  
  
"Not today, Voldemort. Not ever." Harry shot out his wand towards the figure and yelled out "Cruciatus!" but Voldemort had yelled out also.  
  
Both spells backfired and made no affect at all. Harry attempted once again.  
  
"Avada Kedvara!" said Harry with all his might.  
  
A flash of green smoke erupted from the wand he was using and out came the spell hitting Voldemort square in the chest.  
  
Voldemort yelled in agony. He was silently slinking to the floor without another word spoken but just moans.  
  
Voldemort was finally dead.  
  
Harry stood dumbstruck. He faced towards Hermione. He was very calm surprisingly.  
  
"Hermione, are you okay? It's over. It's finally over." But it wasn't yet.  
  
Hermione saw that Draco was creeping towards Harry ready to attack but she wasn't going to let him.  
  
She grabbed the wand that belonged to Draco and yelled "Cruciatus!!" the wand threw the spell.  
  
Draco leapt back screaming while Harry just stood in mere shock.  
  
Draco yelped and right before his death, he laughed coldly.  
  
"Poor Hermione, you have no one."  
  
"Poor Hermione"  
  
Hermione had killed Draco.  
  
Hermione stood still, trying her best not to cry. But she couldn't help it. She wanted to scream. She had the urge.  
  
AWWWWWWWW!!!  
  
AWWWWW!!!!! Hermione awoke suddenly from her bed. It was already sunrise. She shrugged and struggled to get out of bed.  
  
She quickly made her way into the bathroom to take off the sweat that she had when she slept. She needed to take her usual anti-depressant pills once again.  
  
She hated the way she was living.  
  
But it was better this way. Living this way.  
  
She wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. It was for the best.  
  
Or was it? 


End file.
